Chiefs 17, Texans 16: Too Many Easy Headlines, Case in Point...

While watching the Texans drop their fifth game in a row Sunday afternoon, I realized that the success of one Case Keenum on the field was going to cause at least one group of people to jump for joy regardless of who they actually rooted for: professional sports headline writers. I mean, I've already used "Making the Case for Keenum," and that was off the top of my head when I was drunk. OK, I wasn't drunk, but it was off the top of my head.

There were good things to be taken from Sunday's loss and a lot of bad as well. The first thing we learned is the kid can play. Keenum brought back the vertical passing game for the Texans and a sense of urgency we haven't noticed for a while. But, he made his share of mistakes and missed plenty of reads. The defense too struggled, at least in the first half, and there were key injuries that could be problematic for the remainder of the season.

Whatever the Case (see what I did there), it was yet another loss in a clearly now lost season. Going into the bye, it was nice to see the Texans play well for a change, particularly against the undefeated Chiefs in the loudest stadium on the planet, but moral victories suck, especially when the season is rapidly going down the tubes.

What went right: The Passing Game

For once, the Texans threw the ball down field. Early in the fourth quarter, Keenum's first long shot down the field, across his body, was slightly overthrown to tight end Garrett Graham. We can only assume Graham, so used to Matt Schaub under-throwing everything with his noodle arm took his time getting there, forgetting who was under center. Keenum gave the team a vertical passing attack since Schaub has been at QB.

Runner up: The defense in the second half was the defense we had come to expect from the Texans but hadn't seen in some time. They swarmed the ball, made smart plays all over the field and even stopped the Chiefs inside the red zone. When was the last time that happened?

What went wrong: Third Downs

KC came into this game 5 for 20-something in third down conversions over the last couple games. On Sunday, they went 7-15. On the other side of the ball, the Texans went 4-12 on third downs. That's a bad combo. Too often, the defense just could not get the Chiefs off the field on third down and the Texans couldn't find their way to the first down marker.

Runner up: A lot of blame can be placed on the offensive line for the pass protection, especially in the second half (we're looking at you, Derek Newton), but on several occasions, Keenum missed his reads -- something he admitted after the game. The result against the best pass rush in the NFL was predictable. It didn't help that the run game was suffering from a serious shortage of backs and quality plays.

What must improve: Play Calling

I was impressed that Coach Gary Kubiak put Keenum in the pistol formation for pretty much the entire game, allowing him to operate from the shotgun, which allowed him more time to read the defense and gave him a comfort zone from his days at the University of Houston. But, when you are losing, you don't get MORE conservative on third and fourth downs. On at least two occasions, the team kicked a field goal or punted on fourth down when points or keeping the drive alive could have had significant ramifications on the game's outcome. As usual, Kubiak was more conservative than Rush Limbaugh and it cost them.

What should stay the same: Case Keenum

I've been critical of the choice to put Keenum on the field. But, after the past few weeks, even I figured, "What the hell." While I'm still not 100 percent convinced he Mr. Right at QB, I most certainly believe he is Mr. Right Now. This season is in the tank. This is the time to see what you have in Keenum. After the game, Kubiak himself said the mistakes Keenum made have to be corrected and the only way he'll do that is on the field. Bingo, Kubes. Keep him out there and let's see if the kid is for real. If not, there are plenty of good QBs in the 2014 draft.

Keenum in the second half had the deer-in-the-headlights moments I expected in the first half. The first half he looked good and showed that Kubiak has been covering for his buddy Schaub all these years with his playcalling. Is Keenum the future? He reminds me of Brian Sipe, so yes, he is Mr.Right Now, and hopefully the Texans will draft some QB for an upgrade. I still think they need to can Kubiak at the end of the season. (While Smith might or might not be a good GM, I'd still rather see a whole new regime.) I'd like to see Jon Gruden or Brian Billick pursued. They didn't stop being good head coaches. They just couldn't find a great QB. And of course I'd expect them to cut Schaub as Bill Bellichick cut Bernie Kosar in Cleveland since they are both cut from the same non-athletic cloth. The rest of the this season should get the bench warmers into the game to let the next coach have some film to watch.